The Rangers’ strong start took a hard turn on Friday when Igor Shesterkin exited with what looked like a serious right-leg injury, a jarring scene that left the team facing an uncertain stretch in goal.
The moment came in the second period after Shesterkin had come out of his crease to try to stay with the play. As he turned back toward his net, his skate blade caught the goal post, and he immediately signaled that something was wrong. He was unable to put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped off the ice.
The concern is obvious, and it’s not limited to one area. After the skate jammed into the post, the injury could involve the ankle, the knee, or something more severe. It also stood out because Shesterkin had already dealt with a lower-body issue earlier this year, and this time it was his right leg rather than the left side that was injured in January.
That January injury came after JJ Peterka crashed into him, bending Shesterkin’s left leg awkwardly. The Rangers placed him on injured reserve then, and he eventually came back in February after the Olympic break.
Lower-body injuries have been a recurring issue on Shesterkin’s record. He has also dealt with a strained groin in March 2021, a left leg and lower-body injury in December 2021, and another lower-body injury in November 2023. The rest of his injury history has been made up of undisclosed upper-body issues.
Even with that interruption, Shesterkin was outstanding once he returned. He still played in 51 games and finished 25-19-6 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average.
Now the Rangers are forced to turn elsewhere, at least for the moment. Dylan Garand took over in Friday’s game against the Capitals, and with Joonas Korpisalo also on injured reserve with an injury that hasn’t been detailed, Garand would be in line to handle most of the workload if Shesterkin misses significant time. Spencer Martin is the likeliest emergency addition if the Rangers need another goalie, though the team would probably look for a more dependable option depending on how serious Shesterkin’s injury turns out to be.
For a team whose success is tied closely to Shesterkin being available, the hope is that the scene on the ice looked worse than the diagnosis will be. For now, the Rangers and their fans are waiting.
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